Varnesdeel out as Kalamazoo Central basketball coach

John A. Lacko | Special to the GazetteBernard Varnesdeel Jr., left, hands the Class A district championship trophy to Kalamazoo Central basketball players Ray Hall, center, and Corey Person in February.

"All of our coaching contracts are year-to-year. At the end of that year, we review not only where we are, but where we feel we need to go," K-Central athletics director Van Dickerson said Thursday afternoon, reading from a prepared statement.

"We have decided to move in a different direction, with a different coach."

Varnesdeel, 30, guided K-Central to a 57-34 record in his four years. The Maroon Giants were 19-4 and ranked in the Top 10 in Class A several weeks during each of the past two seasons. They won Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Central Division and district titles each season.

Bernard Varnesdeel Jr.

Varnesdeel, a 1995 Paw Paw graduate, said he was appreciative of his opportunities at K-Central and that he'd like to coach again.

"I feel we were on the verge of breaking through as a program," he said Thursday night. "Someone obviously didn't see us moving in that direction."

Dickerson would not name any candidates for Varnesdeel's replacement, but said he hoped to be moving forward in the process by next week.

K-Central hired a new varsity football head coach last month. After a 6 1/2-month search, Lamanzer Williams was named the successor for Dob Drake, who resigned after last season.

"We'll persevere and get through it and, hopefully, get through to the next side," Dickerson said. "Especially with the way it played out in football, hopefully (the basketball hire) can move a lot smoother and quicker."

Corey Person, who recently graduated from K-Central and played under Varnesdeel all four years, likened the Varnesdeel release to that of recently ousted Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders.

"My initial thought was Flip Saunders. He was good enough to get the Pistons to the conference finals, but couldn't get past that," said Person, who was a key part of Maroon Giants teams that lost in the regional semifinals the past two seasons.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to (Varnesdeel) yet," he said. "I know it's hard on him, so I wanted to give him some time."

Dickerson said Varnesdeel will continue in his non-teaching position on the Kalamazoo Central faculty.